The First thing on this List is to MAKE YOUR OWN TOP BUCKET LIST – the suggestions and adventures below have come from varying sources and some of these may appeal to you more than others. Have a read through them and see if you are inspired by any of the ideas and then write up your own top list and DO IT!!!!
Explore your world
Travel has to be one of life’s greatest adventures and is open to everybody. Not all of us can travel as far as others and some of us have restrictions and hurdles to overcome in order to travel anywhere but should we not all try to explore as much of our world as we can?
Explore your garden
Your local parks, local sites, historical buildings, nearby attractions; some of which are free – Try looking on the internet and googling what is near to you. I follow a thread on facebook for abandoned buildings near me in my state, and these become places I mark down and try to go see for my own nearby adventure. For me, my bucket list includes local top sites I want to see this year as well as places I want to go someday.
Explore further afield
Of course other counties and cities on your bucket list would be here, but also have you travelled and explored many areas in your own country?
More distant travel
Planes, Trains and automobiles…….
And for the really adventurous
Intrepid Travel into the top adventurous places that the tourists do not tend to flock! There are many bucket list sites out there offering something for everyone….
Try getting a job doing something you love
Easier said than done for most of us unless we are blessed not to have any financial worries or commitments. BUT, we can at least try to be happy in our work and make the most of the jobs we are in. If you are really unhappy, try talking to the boss, and look at ways to make your job more pleasant. Some of us may be able to consider part-time work or voluntary work doing something we love and feel good about. Look at your lifestyle – consider your finances, what’s the point in earning if you can’t enjoy life a little?
Start your own business doing something that you are passionate about
If you can’t afford to risk your job, try starting up a side-line in something you do love. There are many millionaires out there who started off on a whim!
Achieve your ideal appearance
There are not many people who are happy with the way they look! Ask any person if there is a part of their body they would change if she could, and most will think of something right off the top.. Nowadays help is at hand! Self Help is a good starting pointing – exercise can solve many problems, healthy eating (beauty from within), sleep patterns (get enough of it), then many creams, oils, lotions and potions can assist us – not to mention good make-up!
Sometimes more help is required and then we can look at external help from others, sometimes costly but sometimes the costs are worth it when our self confidence and happiness is achieved.
Run a marathon/Compete in a large event
OK, so we are not all fitness fans and running a marathon might be a bit daunting as a bucket list adventure but set yourself a target – a goal – how do you know what your limits are unless you reach them? Many local activities include local walks, running clubs are all a good starting point.
Take up a new sport that you haven’t done before
This could be any activity from gentle games of boules to snowboarding, rock climbing or scuba diving. Again have a look at the sports available and set yourself an achievable aim and GO FOR IT!
Do an extreme sport
For example: Bungee jump, Skydiving, Parachuting, Paragliding, Ice climbing, the list is endless but the adrenalin can be an amazing feeling.
Connect with people from your past
All your teachers from your past schools – college, high school – Let them know how they have shaped your life. Look up old friends, acquaintances, family members. There are many social web-sites that assist in this and a trip down memory lanes chatting and reminiscing can be a great and fun adventure.
Identify someone who has inspired you the most in your life
Let them know how much they have inspired you, contact them and tell them what they mean/meant to you. Some people influence us in strange ways but those that have influenced us in positive ways can probably inject even more into our lives without them even knowing it. Contact them.
Be a mentor to someone
Can you help mentor someone? Can you set a positive example and give a little back to someone who may one day come back to you and say thank you!
Raise Money for Charity
Can you think of something that you can do and that would raise a bit of money on the way? Do it! The feeling of accomplishment and bucket list level achievement is nearly as good as handing over that check to someone/group that are really in need. (If you are looking for a worthy cause that is really helping people check out Joe’s Addiction)
Give an amazing surprise to someone
Most of us love a surprise – even those of us who say we don’t do appreciate an unexpected nicety so arrange something for someone special – it can be anything but as long as it is a surprise and raises a smile
Make a difference in someone’s life
Some of us are more fortunate than others but we all have something to give – we can ALL make a difference to someone, somehow. From raising a smile to helping in a way that it changes someone’s life forever.
Perform a nice deed to at least 10 strangers
Surprise 10 people by performing a good deed. This is a great Terracotta Army is a sight I won’t forget in a hurry. this has always been on my bucket list goal for this year! You will be surprised at how good you feel and how good they feel – It is contagious you know – they might carry on the good work and so on.
Write a book
You will be surprised how many times people say or think – “I could write a book about ….” – DO IT! This is the perfect bucket list item. It is not that hard nowadays with the help of a computer and many sites that will even print a one-off book – you don’t have to find a publisher to see your book in print. You might even do just an e-book and who knows you could make money from it too! I recommend you look at Amazon’s in-house publishing service. You can get author copies and it is instantly available to sell around the world!
Do karaoke singing your favorite song
It doesn’t matter if you are tone-deaf and ‘cannot sing’ a note – go for it! My hat is off for all those brave adventurous souls who get up and sing to an audience of any size and do it for fun, laughter and simply because they can. Overcome your shyness!
Offer your service to a humanitarian cause
Not everything is about money, we can give without the exchange of dollar bills. There are many sites on the internet asking for help, and for those that cannot travel to distant lands, there are many things you can do to help closer to home. Even a little typing, book-keeping, or just friendly words to those in need.
Make friends with at least 10 strangers on the street
How does anyone become a friend? At some point, it is through a chance meeting or an introduction, a smile or a handshake. Take time to be adventurous and speak to a neighbor, a local shop-keeper or a passerby. I adopted a local pub and have made friends I would have otherwise never known.
Experience an amazing sunset
Sometimes the sunrise or the sunset can be one of life’s top amazing sights. It is something that is guaranteed to happen every day, but when was the last time you actually sat and watched? Have you got a good landscape where you live or do you need to take a small adventurous trip to truly experience our brightest star?
Take a trip to see the Northern Lights
More amazing than any sunset/sunrise.
Witness a solar eclipse
These do not happen many times in anyone’s bucket list lifetime, so when they do – embrace it!
Go stargazing with someone you like/love
Our solar system’s immensity is beyond comprehension but is a beautiful and wonderful sight to behold. Have you wished on a shooting star? Looked for the various constellations, tried to spot a planet? A satellite? Seen Venus?
Plant your own tree
Talk about a Terracotta Army is a sight I won’t forget in a hurry. this has always been on my bucket list item that will continue on as a legacy long after we are gone! We all know that trees are no longer in the abundance that they used to be – so plant a tree! Feed it and water it – watch it grow. Maybe get an acorn and see if you can start the growth of a mighty oak – one that will be here when you say goodbye.
Own a pet/sponsor an animal (or more if you desire!)
Dog, cat, rabbit, hamster, tortoise, fish, snake, frog, etc Have you ever had a pet? They can be so rewarding – or if you do not feel you want the commitment of a pet – adopt/sponsor an animal.
Do public speaking
For some, it is an adventure to overcome fear and others just a top desire. This can be a speech to a chosen few or to the masses in front of 1000′s of people. Is there anything you feel passionate about that you would love to share? Share it!
Write a letter to at least 5 of your closest friends
Let them know how much they mean to you.
Throw a massive party
Enough said.
Get a complete makeover
Change everything, from your hairstyle, hair color, image, clothes. Try to wear something new, something adventurous and different to anything that you have worn before. Be outrageous or just a little offbeat but above all else be different from your usual self.
Learn wine appreciation/wine tasting/good food
Try those top wines and foods. You might be content with fish and chips, but experiment with the wide range of food and wines available – you might open up a whole new adventurous world to your palette and might want to try cooking/brewing your own?
Join a social etiquette class and further refine your mannerisms
Not for everyone, but can be wholesome fun, and remind us of a few finer manners in life that are sometimes forgotten in the speedy world that we live in.
Be a matchmaker
Now you have to be careful here, but if you have any single friends that you feel would enjoy the company of others, introduce them – act as a go-between to break the ice – through a dinner party – (the rest is up to them!)
Go on a blind date!
If you are not already hitched then why the hell not go on a blind date? Yes, it is scary and adventurous. Ask your friends to set you up on at least one blind date and mark that off your bucket list.
Go for further education
This could be in a different specialization, one you wouldn’t usually choose or something that you are naturally good or gifted at and deserve the recognition that goes with it!
Learn a (new) musical instrument
Clarinet, Piano, Violin, Harmonica, Flute, Guitar, Drum, Trumpet, anything that gets you excited to try.
Take up dancing
Salsa, Line dance, Square dance, Tap dance, Tango, Ballroom dancing, or for the adventurous, the “forbidden dance.”
Learn a martial art
A style of exercise, fighting, and self-defense. Who knows maybe your the next Jacky Chan or Bruce Lee!
Go on a road trip
with your closest friends.
Go backpacking
Across at least 5 locations.
Pack your bags and set off
For a random adventure location (i.e catch the very next plane wherever it goes).
Go swimming with dolphins
In the wild!
Spend time living in a different country
Learn the language, enjoy the food and really experience the adventure of a different culture!
Act in a film
Self-production (YouTube or other platforms) or become an “extra” in a big-budget shoot. The pay is terrible and the hours are long, but hey, you are in a movie!
Get featured on TV/radio/print/newspapers
For an achievement, you are proud of. We are all entitled to have our 15 minutes of fame.
Get creative
Knit a scarf, crochet, embroider or try something artsy – a painting, a homemade card or pottery.
Create your dream home
Look long and hard at the house you live in – is it the home you want? Is there something you can do to make it feel that much more special? Depending on your home improvement skills this is an adventure.
Cook the best meal ever for your loved ones
For those of you who have never cooked – no cheating here! The goal of a bucket list item is to enjoy the adventure. Very few adventures happen in the safe territory of “no risk.” So don’t derail the plan with a ready meal from the freezer to the plate in 10 microwave minutes! Try your hand with spices, herbs, and experiment in the kitchen.
Bake a cake for someone special – Now there is cooking and then there is baking – two different bits of fun to have in the kitchen!
Go deep into the heart of Mother Nature
Go trekking in a rainforest; Camp out in the wilds;
Walk in a valley; Visit a waterfall; Swim in an ocean, or just amble through woodland – roll down a hillside, spend a night in a forest, a night on the beach.
Live through 4 seasons of the year
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter and experience the weathers from all 4 seasons:
Winter: See snow, feel snow, have a snowball fight – make a snowman, make snow angels.
Spring: Rain – sing and dance in the rain, let yourself get wet – remember no rain, no rainbows.
Summer: Sun- remember the sunscreen, but enjoy the rays of the sun – go naked in a private spot and feel the warmth, make a sundial.
Fall: Wind – try windsurfing, kite surfing, kite buggy or simply fly a kite – stand and see how the wind can hold your weight? Through glitter in the air and watch it blow and scatter.
Read a book
On a subject you’d never have thought of reading – fiction or nonfiction – just something that you would not normally choose – you might enjoy it! I did this at the suggestion of a friend and read two marvelous books in a genre I had never delved into before.
Volunteer
On a holiday like Christmas – Help the homeless in a soup kitchen – How many Christmases have you had without a concern? Give up just one for the sake of giving someone less fortunate a Christmas.
Fall asleep outside
On grassy plains, on a beach, up a hill, near a stream – anywhere to hear the different noises and experience the different senses.
Call customer services
Call (of a service provider you like) just to thank them for the great service. Sometimes we only ever contact these people to complain – how often have you rang them to say thanks? This may not be on your Terracotta Army is a sight I won’t forget in a hurry. this has always been on my bucket list but I’ll bet it is on their unconscious bucket list.
Become a Vegetarian
If you are a non-vegetarian, try out vegetarianism for 21 days and experience it for yourself. See what different food types there are that are non-meat. Have you tasted Quorn? Or tried impossible burgers? After that, try veganism – take it one step further – it is supposed to cleanse the body and be good for you and the planet. Try raw veganism at its purest. Then conclude which is the best diet for you.
Fold 1,000 origami cranes
Give them to someone special. The Japanese believe anyone who does this will be granted a wish from the gods! What could be more Terracotta Army is a sight I won’t forget in a hurry. this has always been on my bucket list-ish than that! Or make a paper chain for Christmas, or paper ornaments following instructions in origami.
Conquer your biggest fear
Have you a fear or a phobia that you would love to conquer – try to overcome it – push yourself one step further than you would normally do.
Go snorkeling
Experience marine life up close and personal – If you can’t do this then at least visit a sea life center and take a look at some of the marvels in our oceans.
